Editorial: Doolittle's dilemma
Plot thickens, but final chapter not written
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Sacramento-area political leaders made their annual pilgrimage to Washington, an event known as Cap to Cap. On that trip, Rep. John Doolittle was the man to meet. The Roseville Republican was in the majority party. He was on the key Appropriations Committee that doled out the dough. He was a coveted insider. And while Republican pillars such as Tom DeLay found themselves out of politics and in trouble, Doolittle seemed defiant and confident that none of it would ever affect him.
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He once said he didn't need a lawyer to deal with questions about such matters as his hiring of his wife to handle fund-raising or his dealings with surrogates close to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Now he has an attorney, and he seems to need one. Department of Justice officials recently raided his house in Virginia. A former Doolittle aide who once worked for Abramoff resigned suddenly from a Washington law firm at about the time the raid occurred. Doolittle has stepped down from his key post on the Appropriations Committee.
It is too soon to say where all this is leading. Doolittle vigorously denies he has done anything wrong. That stridently defiant streak in his political personality will end up serving him in one of two ways. Perhaps the inner confidence will help him move beyond a probe if it ends without further damage to his career. Or perhaps it will be his undoing, if his long-standing claims are contradicted by evidence of wrongdoing.more:
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/161154.html